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Monday, March 28, 2022
IDW Publishing Shipping from Diamond Distributors for March 30, 2022
Image Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for March 30, 2022
Marvel Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for March 30, 2022
Comic Books, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 30, 2022
Marvel Studios Releases New Stephen Strange Image from "DOCTOR STRANGE 2"
Marvel Studios has released four new images from its upcoming film, "DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS," which arrives in theaters May 6, 2022. Directed by Sam Raimi, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor. and Xochitl Gomez. The image below features Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange standing in a room full of candles:
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Saturday, March 26, 2022
Review: Hurt and Turner Put All the Heat in "BODY HEAT"
Body Heat (1981)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – R
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Lawrence Kasdan
PRODCUER: Fred T. Gallo
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Richard H. Kline (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Carol Littleton
COMPOSER: John Barry
DRAMA/ROMANCE/CRIME
Starring: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston, Oscar Grace, Mickey Rourke, Kim Zimmer, Jane Hallaren, Lanna Saunders, and Carola McGuinness
Body Heat is a 1981 romance and crime drama written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. The film is set in Florida during a searing heat wave and focuses on a small-town lawyer and a sultry woman who conspire to murder her rich husband.
Body Heat introduces Ned Racine (William Hurt), an inept lawyer who operates out of Okeelanta County, in southern Florida, which is in the middle of a searing heatwave. One night, he chances upon a very attractive woman, who is all alone. Although she initially rebuffs his amorous attempts, she eventually gives in to Ned's advances and identifies herself as Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner). She lives in a posh mansion with her mysteriously wealthy husband, Edmund Walker (Richard Crenna). Edmund is usually away on business during the week, so that is when Matty is alone.
Ned and Matty begin a torrid affair. When they can be together, they have lots of sex in the sweltering heat of the night. When Edmund is home on the weekends, Matty longs to be with Ned, as he longs to be with her. If Matty were to divorce her husband, an onerous marital prenuptial agreement would leave her with very little, but she would get half his estate if he died... Matty wishes Edmund was dead, and Ned presents her with a way to get rid of him. Ned believes that he has figured out how to get away with murder, but has he figured out Matty Walker?
William Hurt (1950-2022) recently died after a reported battle with cancer, and I was taken aback. William Hurt was one of the biggest names in Hollywood in the 1980s when I was first coming of age an a film fan. I have decided to go back and watch some of his films that I'd previously seen and also to watch some for the first time. One of those first time films is Body Heat, which was only the third film in which he'd starred. It is apparently the film that made him a “bankable” Hollywood movie star.
Body Heat is also the film debut of Kathleen Turner. Her physicality and obvious and frank sexuality made her a star of the 1980s. Her adventurousness in choosing movie roles created an eclectic filmography, but Turner's star waned in the 1990s. In Body Heat, however, she is ready to unleash her unique skill set on the world. Matty Walker is Turner's signature work, and bits and pieces of the character and her performance of the character continued to show up in her work in the decades that followed the original release of Body Heat.
Here, in Body Heat, Hurt and Turner are stars ascendant. At first, I wondered if they would have screen chemistry, and from my point of view, they are magnificent together. The fact that they are willing to be naked together so often in this film speaks to their professionalism and also the depth of their skill as actors. Both had performed on stage before they entered the world of Hollywood films, so they had acting experience. That experience was needed in filming what has been described as many explicit sex scenes that were not included in the finished film.
Still, what is left on screen is hot and nasty. Turner and Hurt are so hot together that they damn near burned this film down, which it needs. The truth is that Body Heat is rather tepid. The film is described as a “neo-noir,” a modern version of the classic Hollywood film genre, “Film-Noir.” Outside of the depictions of sex and nudity, Body Heat's story and the execution of its narrative, to me, seem rather tame compared to a film like, for instance, 1950's Gun Crazy, another romantic crime drama about a killer couple. Writer-director Lawrence Kasdan, one of the best writer-directors and screen writers of the last five decades, apparently found inspiration for Body Heat in the 1944 Film-Noir classic, Double Indemnity. Well, it's time for me to see that one.
Beside Ned Racine and Matty Walker, I like the other characters in this film. Richard Crenna is really good in a small role as Edmund Walker; he deserved more screen time. Ted Danson's Peter Lowenstein is good, but seems extraneous in this film, and J.A. Preston's Oscar Grace, a police detective, has his best moments in Body Heat's last act. Also, if you ever wondered what Hollywood executives saw in Mickey Rourke that would make him a star, his small but potent turn as Teddy Lewis, an explosives expert and former client of Ned's, reveals the first glimmer of his movie star potential.
Body Heat is not William Hurt's best work, but his quirky takes make Ned Racine an interesting character. Kasdan throws out hints about the general sloppy nature of Ned's skills as an attorney and also his inability to see the big picture. Hurt takes that the rest of the way, creating a Ned Racine that is not savvy enough not to be a fall guy, but too smart not to figure it out eventually. Body Heat is not a crime fiction classic, but it is a classic “erotic thriller.” Hurt and Turner make it so.
7 of 10
B+
Saturday, March 26, 2022
NOTES:
1983 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles” (Kathleen Turner)
The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 20th to 26th, 2022 - Update #22
by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:
ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:
MOVIES - From Deadline: A24's recent horror film, "X," could be a budding horror movie franchise. A prequel film is apparently already close to being finished and preparations are being made for a sequel.
STAR TREK - From Variety: Actress Ito Aghayere talks about playing "Young Guinan" on the Paramount+ series, "Star Trek: Picard." "Guinan" is the classic "Star Trek: The Next Generation" character originally played by Oscar-winner, Whoopi Goldberg.
MOVIES - From People: Here are the first look photos of Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage as "Dracula" in Universal Pictures' horror-comedy, "Renfield," in which Nicholas Hoult plays the title role.
BROADWAY - From Deadline: A Broadway musical is being developed based on the 1983 film, "Trading Places." Aneesa Folds will play Eddie Murphy's role, and Bryce Pinkham will play Dan Aykroyd's role.
TELEVISION - From Deadline: The CW has given early renewals to 7 of its 19 scripted dramas. Owners Warner Media and ViacomCBS has put The CW up for sale, with Nexstar being among the suitors.
STREAMING - From Deadline: HBO Max's "Sex in the City" sequel, "And Just Like That..." has been renewed for a second season.
NETFLIX - From Deadline: Actress Christina Ricci, who played "Wednesday Addams," in two 1990s "Addams Family" films directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, will play a major role in Netflix's series, "Wednesday." The nature of her role is still a secret. Jenna Ortega will play Wednesday in the series.
OSCARS - From Deadline: At the 94th Academy Awards, Beyonce will indeed perform her Oscar-nominated song, "Be Alive" (from "King Richard" and co-written with DIXSON) via satellite from a Compton tennis court.
From Variety: Beyonce is in talks to perform her Oscar-nominated song, "Be Alive" (from "King Richard") live from the tennis courts in Compton, California during the 94th Academy Awards. The film focuses on Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends, Venus and Serena Williams, who learned to play tennis on those courts with Richard as their coach.
MOVIES - From Variety: The sequel to the 2021 hit, "Godzilla vs. Kong," will start filming in Australia later this year.
OSCARS - From BBC: The BBC's website has produced a video that presents all the "Best Picture" nominees for the 94th Academy Awards in 59 seconds.
CELEBRITY - From Variety: This year's "Rase to Erase MS" gala will return to Fairmont Century Plaza hotel on May 20th and will feature music by "Nile Rogers & Chic" and a Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive fashion show.
MOVIES - From ShadowandAct: Marvel Cinematic Universe star and New Orleans native Anthony Mackie has reportedly bought 20 acres in New Orleans East where he plans to start a movie studio. However, Mackie has reportedly officially said that it was too premature to discuss specifics of the deal.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 3/18 to 3/20/2022 weekend box office is "The Batman" with an estimated 36.8 million dollars.
From Here: Negromancer's review of "The Batman."
STAR TREK - From TheGuardian: Georgia gubernatorial candidate and voting rights champion, Stacey Abrams, made a cameo as "President of United Earth" on the Season 4 finale of "Star Trek: Discovery" (Paramount+). Some people were mad...
TELEVISION - From Deadline: The daytime syndicated talk show "Maury" will be ending after the current season, apparently a mutual decision between the host, Maury Povich, and NBCUniversal Syndication Studios. Povich is reportedly retiring. The last original episodes will air through September 2022, after which repeats of the show will continue to air in syndication
AWARDS - From Deadline: "CODA" wins the top award, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures," at the 2022 / 33rd Producers Guild Awards.
AVATAR - From Variety: "Avatar 2" star Zoe Saldana said that after watching 20 minutes of the film, she cried.
CANNES - From Deadline: Not only will "Top Gun: Maverick" make its premiere at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, but its star Tom Cruise will also feted with a "career retrospective" special tribute.
OBITS:
From RollingStone: Singer-songwriter and rock musician, Taylor Hawkins, has died at the age of 50, Friday, March 25, 2022 in a hotel in Bogota, Columbia. Hawkins was best known as the drummer of the band, "Foo Fighters." The band announced Hawkins as its new drummer in March 1997, and in addition to being the drummer, Hawkins wrote songs, provided vocals, and played piano and guitar. He first appeared on the Foo Fighters third album "There is Nothing Left to Lose" (1999). His side-projects included the bands, "Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders" and "The Birds of Satan."
From CNN: American diplomat and former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, has died at the age of 84, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Albright was the first female U.S. Secretary of State, serving from 1997 to 2001, during President Bill Clinton's second term, the 64th Secretary of State. She was also the 20th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (1993-97). Albright was born in Czechoslovakia and immigrated to the U.S. with her parents in 1948.
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94TH ACADEMY AWARDS:
From Deadline: With his "Best Actor" nomination for "The Tragedy of Macbeth," Denzel Washington is the most nominated Black actor is Oscar history. He has been nominated in two acting categories a total of 10 times with two wins total.
From Variety: With her "Best Director" Oscar nomination for "The Power of the Dog," Jane Campion becomes the first woman nominated twice in that category. She was previously nominated in that category for "The Piano" (1993).
From Variety: With his three nominations today, Kenneth Branagh of "Belfast" becomes the first person to have been nominated in seven individual categories over his career.
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MOVIE AWARDS:From Variety: The Directors Guild of America's 2022 74th annual DGA Awards were held on Sat., March 12th. Jane Campion won the top prize "Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Film" for directing "The Power of the Dog." She is the third woman to win the award and the second to have been nominated twice.
From Variety: The winners at the 2022 / 49th annual Annie Awards were announced, Sat. Mar. 12th. Netflix's "The Mitchells vs. the Machines" was named "Best Feature."
From Variety: Here is a complete list of winners at 2022 / 53rd NAACP Image Awards in the film, television and music categories. Jennifer Hudson was named "Entertainer of the Year."
From Deadline: The 2022 / 9th annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards were announced. The Amazon film, "Coming 2 America" (the sequel to the 1988 film, "Coming to America"), led with three wins.
From Deadline: The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the "Best Picture" of 2021.
From Deadline: The 2022 / 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have announced their nominations. "Zola" leads with six nominations. The winners will be announced Sun., March 6, 2022.
From THR: The 2022 / 79th Golden Globes Awards nominations have been announced. "Belfast" and "The Power of the Dog" lead with seven nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.
From GoldDerby: The 2022 Critics Choice Awards nominations have been announced. "Belfast" and "West Side Story" leads with 11 nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.
From Deadline: The American Film Institute announced the "2021 AFI Awards" Top 10 list, and the list includes "Dune," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," and "West Side Story."
From THR: Director Aleem Khan's "After Love" tops the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, winning six awards, including "Best Film of 2021."
From Variety: The New York Film Critics Circle has named the Japanese drama, "Drive My Car," as the "Best Film of 2021."
From Deadline: The National Board of Review hands director Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" it "Best Film" and "Best Director" awards. Will Smith picks up the "Best Actor" award for "King Richard."
From THR: Netflix’s "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, dominated the 2021 Gotham Awards in New York on Monday night (Nov. 29th). The film won in four of the five categories in which it was nominated, including "Best Feature."
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